Summer sure took its time to get here

Temperatures swung between extremes during the three months of summer, with the country experiencing the coldest December since 1945 but the eighth warmest February on record.

Overall the temperature for the three months from December to February was 0.3C below normal, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said yesterday in a climate summary.

December was the 5th coldest on record, with the country hit by frequent southerlies, whereas in February frequent northeasterlies made their mark.

"The first 10 days of February were very hot, with maximum temperatures of 30C or more in many locations throughout New Zealand, and 35C or more in sheltered inland areas of the South Island," Niwa said.

Summer rainfall was well above average in parts of southern Wairarapa and in the eastern South Island from mid-Canterbury to Southland.

Timaru had its wettest summer in nearly 50 years and, with Martinborough, had more than twice as much rainfall as usual.

Eastern Bay of Plenty had below average rainfall.

The highest temperature of the summer was 38.7C, at Alexandra on February 4. It was also the highest for the Central Otago township since records began in 1929.

It was one of only a few occasions when temperatures in this country have climbed above 100 on the previously used Fahrenheit scale - which is 37.8C on the celsius scale now used, Niwa said.

Murchison, in the Nelson region, had 30C or higher on 10 consecutive days from February 1.

But mean temperatures for the three months were below average in many regions, down 1C or more in parts of Auckland, King Country, coastal Wairarapa, coastal Otago and inland Southland.

Of the four main centres, Wellington was the sunniest with 692 summer sunshine hours, compared with 617 for Auckland, 646 for Christchurch and 441 for Dunedin.

The figures for the three sunnier centres were near average, but Dunedin's was below average.

Christchurch was driest with 156mm of rain; Auckland had 218mm, Wellington 244mm and Dunedin 289mm. Auckland was slightly below average and the other three centres were above average.

Auckland was warmest with a mean temperature of 18.4C; Wellington had 16.3C, Christchurch 16.1C and Dunedin 13.8C. All were below average.

Summer in the cities

Wellington 692 sunshine hours
Christchurch 646
Auckland 617
Dunedin 441

* Heavy rain forced authorities to close the Te Anau-Milford Sound highway at 9am yesterday as fears of slips and flooding grew. Early travellers reached Milford, where they had to stay, but most of the morning's traffic was turned back from Knobs Flat, 60km from Te Anau.